1 .        The “April snow” is here! It’s not real snow, of course, it’s catkins (飞絮) from willows and poplar trees in spring. For some people, this “snow” is not welcomed. Catkins can cause allergies (过敏), making people’s noses, eyes, and skin uncomfortable. In spring, the female (雌性的) trees grow lots of flowers. When these flowers finish growing, they produce cotton-like seeds that spread through the air.

Luckily, scientists have found many ways to control catkins. Doing “gender change surgery (变性手术)” on willow and poplar trees is one of them. People cut off the branches of female trees and replace them with branches from male (雄性的) trees. This cuts down the number of catkins. However, this way is slow and expensive. A skilled worker can do the “surgery” on less than ten trees a day. From 2008 to 2018, only around 1, 000 trees were treated in Beijing.

Scientists also use special injections (注射剂) to reduce the number of catkins on trees. These injections make the trees mainly use their energy to grow bigger and get more leaves, not to make catkins. Xu Qinming, an expert, said that this method is safe for the trees. However, the trees need to get injections every year to keep the catkins numbers under control.

Other than injections, the trees can “take medicine”, too. This medicine can be sprayed onto the trees before the catkins form, which can quickly reduce catkins numbers. Still, people need to be careful about how much of the medicine they use and when they use it, or they might hurt the environment.

1. What can we know from paragraph one?

A．Catkins are hard to see.

B．It’s normal to snow in April.

C．People welcome willows.

D．It’s uncomfortable to breath in catkins.

2. How many ways are introduced to deal with catkins?

A．One.

B．Two.

C．Three.

D．Four.

3. What is the disadvantage of using injections according to the passage?

A．Trees need to be injected every year.

B．It needs many skilled workers to do it.

C．It is slow and expensive.

D．It’s bad for the trees and environment.

4. What is the main idea of the passage?

A．How to deal with catkins allergies.

B．How to control catkins with new technology.

C．How to tell male and female willow trees apart.

D．How to protect willow and polar trees.

2 . 阅读短文，根据短文内容回答问题.

“Everything happens for the best,” my mother said whenever things weren’t going my way (按我的方式发展). After I left college in 1932, I decided to find a job in a radio station as a sports announcer (播音员). I went to Chicago knocking on the door of every station. But I got turned down every time.

In one station, a kind lady told me that big stations wouldn’t hire (雇佣) a person who had no working experience and she suggested that I should try at some smaller stations. Following her advice, I went back to Dixon, where I grew up. There were no radio-announcing jobs in Dixon, and my father said a newly-opened store wanted a local sportsman to work for it. I tried but was refused again.

“Everything happens for the best,” Mom told me. Dad offered me a car to look for a job. I tried WOC Radio in Davenport, Iowa. The program director, Peter MacArthur, told me that they had already hired an announcer. As I left his office, my frustration (挫折感) boiled over. “How can I become a sports announcer if I can’t get a job in a radio station?” I asked myself aloud. While I was waiting for the lift, I heard someone calling. It was Peter Mac Arthur. “What did you mean? Do you know anything about football?” Then he asked me to have a try. Pleased with my performance, he offered me a chance to work there.

On my way home, I thought of my mother’s words, “If you continue, one day something good will happen. Anything wouldn’t have happened without the failure (失败) before. ”

1. When did the writer graduate from college?
_______________________________
2. Why couldn’t the writer find a job in big radio stations?
_______________________________
3. Who offered the writer a chance to work?
_______________________________
4. What do you learn from the story?   
___________________________________________

3 .

A．

B．

C．

5 . What is the man doing?

A．Listening to music.

B．Reading a newspaper.

C．Watching TV.

6 . Which subject does the girl’s mother teach?

A．Chinese.

B．English.

C．History.

7 . How often does the woman have an egg for breakfast?

A．At times.

B．Every day.

C．Every week.

8 . What is the man’s hobby?

A．Playing basketball.

B．Playing football.

C．Playing volleyball.

9 . What kind of pollution is mentioned?

A．Air pollution.

B．Water pollution.

C．Noise pollution.

10 . Where does the conversation take place?

A．In a hotel.

B．In a restaurant.

C．In a supermarket.